The Ultimate Guide to Sapporo Snow Festival 2025

The Ultimate Guide to Sapporo Snow Festival 2025

The Sapporo Snow Festival is held annually for one week in February in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. This free festival welcomes over two million visitors every year and is one of the most popular winter events in Japan. If you’re visiting Tokyo this winter, consider adding a stop to Sapporo to experience this whimsical winter wonderland of ice sculptures, snow castles, and light displays.

The beauty of the Sapporo Snow Festival is that it gives you a chance to experience a unique winter event, while getting a snapshot of Japanese culture. The Sapporo Snow Festival is being held from February 4th to 11th 2025 across its usual three sites – Odori Park, Suskino, and Tsudome, with the addition of the Sapporo Dome for 2025.

We’re sharing everything you need to know about the Sapporo Snow Festival, from tips for first-time visitors to where to stay in Sapporo to easily navigate the festival.

Aine Lagan
435
7 minutes read

Contents

What is the Sapporo Snow Festival?

The Sapporo Snow Festival began in 1950 when a group of high schoolers built snow statues in Odori Park. This festival has evolved with time to become one of Japan’s largest winter events. Sapporo Snow Festival is considered one of the world’s three major snow festivals, alongside the Quebec Winter Carnival and Harbin Ice Festival. This free winter festival gives you a taste of Hokkaido with local cuisine showcased alongside spectacular snow sculptures and castles.

Photo: Dr_Flash / Shutterstock.com

The 3 Sites for Sapporo Snow Festival

The festival has typically been held across three sites across Sapporo. Odori Park is the main site and exhibits the largest snow sculptures that range up to 15 meters high. These snow sculptures are lit daily until 10pm, brought to life during the different concerts and events hosted throughout Odori Park.

The Susukino site for the festival is nestled in the heart of Sapporo’s entertainment district with over one hundred sculptures. These snow sculptures are lit daily until 11pm with Susukino being just one stop from Odori Park on the subway.

The Tsu Dome Site is where you’ll find the family-focused parts of the festival with snow slides and snow rafting available alongside the traditional snow sculptures. A playground and food stalls are accessible inside the dome, open daily from 11am to 4pm.

Photo: tomoyasu / tripadvisor.com

Things to do at the Sapporo Snow Festival

Snow and ice take center stage during this winter festival – and it’s more than just snowmen. You’ll want to pack your comfiest travel shoes for walking through the snow, especially if you’re planning on taking part in a snowball fight or building your own snowman. The entire Sapporo area becomes a snowy wonderland with something for visitors of every age, including a bar entirely built from ice.

Explore the sculptures along the walking path

Expect to see 40-meter snow sculptures and ornate decorations with a walking path through the exhibits to ensure you don’t miss a single display. Highlights include the Himeji-jo snow castle and a sculpture of Kaiju of Godzilla.

Stop by the Otaru Snow Light Path

Light plays a major role during the festival with the Otaru Snow Light Path illuminating the displays with castles, adding a romantic atmosphere along the Otaru Canal.

Photo: Naoki Higuchi / Shutterstock.com

Many of the snow objects on display around the canal are locally made with many visitors choosing to view the festival from Tenguyama.

Don’t skip the street food

Food is another major appeal at Sapporo with a focus on street food and local delicacies, from corn butter ramen to steamy hot sake, roasted corn, and fresh seafood. Make sure to sample some locally brewed Sapporo Beer to wash it all down.

Other things to do in Sapporo in winter

While the snow festival brings two million visitors to Sapporo in February, there are other things to enjoy in the nearby area.

Photo: 240_810 / Shutterstock.com

Explore the Japanese countryside

Sapporo is the ideal base for exploring the Japanese countryside by getting a JR Hokkaido rail pass.

Attend the Sounkyo Onsen Ice Waterfall Festival

There’s plenty to do in Otaru, from the snow night path to the independent stores along the Otaru Canal with its evening cruises.

Just outside of Sapporo, you’ll find the Sounkyo Onsen Ice Waterfall Festival along the Ishikari River in Kamjkawa Town. It’s a great add-on to a trip to Sapporo with night-time illuminations and ice sculptures.

What to know before going to the Sapporo Snow Festival

It’s easy for first-time visitors to feel overwhelmed, especially if you’re not used to snow! The festival is easy to navigate, even with the heavy footfall, as Odori Park and Susukino are centrally located with the Tsu Dome Site being just a 15-minute walk from Sakaemachi Station with a shuttle bus operating between the two.

If you want to avoid crowds, explore the festival first thing in the morning between 7am to 9am to enjoy the sculptures in the sun. If you’re planning a later visit, Odori Park and Susukino are quieter after their light displays between 10pm and 11pm. As the Tsudome site is the most popular option for visitors with families, you’ll see fewer crowds on weekdays.

We recommend planning your visit for the start of the festival when the sculptures are freshly completed to see them in their best condition. It’s not uncommon for the snow to look melted towards the end of the festival.

When you’re writing your travel checklist, don’t forget to consider the weather.

Heavy snow and winter blizzards are common in Hokkaido, so you may want to bring more than just a carry-on. If you’re visiting from Tokyo, you can fly into New Chitose Airport, less than 30 miles from Sapporo city center.

Photo: KUROKAWA MOKU / Shutterstock.com

Where to stay for the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan

Like most of Japan, you’ll have a variety of accommodation options to choose from in Sapporo. Rooms do fill up quickly due to the popularity of the festival, but there are plenty of budget-friendly hotels and hostels in the local area. If you’re comfortable taking the subway, staying a few stops away from central Sapporo can help you find more accommodation options.

Here are some of our top hotel recommendations for Sapporo:

1. Best for families

Traveling with kids? This hotel has great accessibility for families with young kids with the staff speaking both English and Japanese.

There’s a paid parking zone for guests traveling by car with an on-site spa center and laundry cleaning facilities.

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2. Best for groups

Winter in Sapporo is popular for tourist groups and there are plenty of hostels to choose from for a group booking. If you’d prefer a hotel, you’ll find rooms with larger capacity at La’gent Stay Sapporo Oodori Hookaido. Visitor reviews highlight its breakfast buffer, which opens earlier than most breakfast options in the area, making it ideal for early risers.

It’s just a 10-minute walk from Sapporo Station and is located close to Odori Park and Susukino, making it ideal for visiting the snow festival. There’s a range of restaurants and shops nearby with everything you need within walking distance.

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3. Best for budget travelers

If you’re on a budget, capsule hotels and hostels aren’t your only option in Sapporo. The Premier Hotel Cabin Sapporo offers free breakfast with onsen.

You can stock up on essentials at the nearby 7/11 or take the 30-minute walk to Sapporo station to get around the city.

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4. Best for luxury travelers

Visitors who want to spend a little more can head to Mercure Hotel Sapporo. Expect a more European style of hotel with larger rooms and additional facilities, including a restaurant serving French-inspired cuisine.

Photo: mercuresapporo.com

You can take the bus from the station across the street straight to New Chitose Airport. It’s an ideal base for the snow festival as the hotel is a 10-minute walk from Odori Park.

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Book your Sapporo Snow Festival trip with ZenHotels

If you’ve always dreamt of stepping into an ice castle, Sapporo Snow Festival deserves a spot on your bucket list. This annual festival gets larger every year and is the perfect add-on to a trip to Japan.

Photo: sharonang / pixabay.com

At ZenHotels, we’re here to help make it easy to plan your trip to Sapporo.

Get access to the best rates on hotels in Sapporo and throughout Japan, as well as over 220 other countries with ZenHotels and download the ZenHotels mobile app to access exclusive rates even lower than on our website.

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